Zika Virus: Nigeria On High Alert - WHO

Nigeria has been put high alert as ZIKA virus, a mosquito-borne disease that has swept quickly throughout equatorial countries, may spread across the Americas, the United States and even Nigeria, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned.
According to a WHO fact sheet, Zika virus infection, which is caused by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito, usually causing mild fever, rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle pain and headache, has already been found in 21 countries in the Caribbean, North and South America.
The virus has also been linked to thousands of babies being born with underdeveloped brains following which some countries have advised women not to get pregnant.
 Investigations revealed that Nigeria, which is one of the malaria-endemic countries, is home to the Aedes aegypti, also a vector for malaria, yellow fever and dengue fever.
It has also emerged that Nigeria is in danger of dengue fever outbreak, another deadly fever in the class of Ebola Virus Disease, transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquito (yellow fever mosquitoes) and Aedes albopictusis (tiger mosquitoes) that are now common in the country mostly in and around homes.
The WHO defines a public health emergency of international concern as “an extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other states through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response.”
A virologist and Director of WHO National Polio Laboratory, Department of Virology, University of Ibadan (UI), Oyo State, Dr. Adekunle Adeniji, had in 2014, warned: “There is no house that these mosquitoes are not present, including big hotels. We have all the four stereotypes of dengue fever in Nigeria. Although not all mosquitoes are infected with dengue virus, if bitten by an infected one, it will spread the virus.”
The expert said the mosquitoes, black and tiny, with white patches, look alike, adding that in a recent case people thought was Ebola virus disease turned out be a case of dengue fever.
He said dengue virus had been isolated by the Department of Virology as far back as the 70s from humans and mosquitoes, declaring that Aedes albopictusis was not native to Africa, but found its way into Nigeria through the international trade in used tyres, where their eggs were deposited.
Although there is yet no outbreak of Zika virus and dengue fever in Nigeria, the expert urged Nigerians to protect themselves from being bitten by mosquitoes and to maintain clean environment.
According to a study published in New York Science Journal, dengue viruses (serotypes 1-4), are the causative agents of dengue fever, dengue haemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome in humans and are transmitted predominantly by the Aedes mosquitoes.
Arbovirus infections are usually sensitive to changes in rainfall and temperature. Consequently, their transmission intensity may be regulated by weather and climate.
The study titled “The Effect of Climate on Dengue Virus Infections in Nigeria,” was conducted by M.M. Baba and Muhammad Talle from the WHO National Polio Laboratory University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Borno State.
According to a study by researchers from the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Aedes aegypti bred in all the breeding sites including tree holes.
In May 2015, the public health authorities of Brazil confirmed the transmission of Zika virus in the northeast of the country.
Since October 2015, other countries and territories of the Americas have reported the presence of the virus. Story By JOHNSON OKPUSA OBASI

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